5@5: Doomsday Scientists Say California Is Going Down

A couple months ago scientists released a report that there is almost a 2/3 chance an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 or higher will hit the Bay Area in California in the next 30 years… which would be devastating in itself! But here recently, the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) said that the chances have gone up for an even more massive quake with a magnitude of 8.0! Which would mean… time to invest in some Arizona property… might be beachfront soon. From the LA Times:

On Tuesday, the USGS adjusted its big-quake forecast, hiking its estimate on the chances of an 8.0 earthquake in California in the next 30 years from 4.7% to 7%…

Stated another way, the chance of an 8.0 or greater quake in California can be expected once every 494 years. The old forecast calculated a rate of one 8.0 or greater earthquake every 617 years.

Ok, so chances for that aren’t that high… but considering the consequence of it actually happening… I’m not moving anytime time soon! Even the 2/3 chance of the smaller one keeps me from renting the U-Haul! Take it as you will, but one thing we do know is that there will be another massive earthquake… it’s just a matter of when. Now am I writing about this because I’m bitter and jealous about the blue skies, the ocean, and the great weather? Absolutely… positively… possibly… could be… -zigz